With so much up in the air as we navigate the new school year, we wanted to talk with educator and parent Karen Block, MST about what her family’s experience has been like from spring to fall. We’ve been lucky to know Karen for the last year+ and she comes to us with an impressive teaching background and significant education consulting experience.
Intelligentsia: Could you tell us about your journey as an educator?
Karen Block: In my late twenties, I applied for the NYC Teaching Fellows program. I started teaching in Far Rockaway in a self-contained 1st/2nd grade class while I was going to school for my master's in both childhood education and special education. I spent the next fifteen years teaching at P.S. 8 The Robert Fulton School (Magnet School for Exploration, Research, and Design).
And you’re also a parent, yes?
I have two daughters, ages 7 and 10. They are in first and fifth grade.
What was the learning environment like at home before COVID hit? What does it look like now?
My younger daughter is an avid reader and loved being in school. She always wanted to play the math games she learned in school or would sit in her free time to write stories. Covid hit and the learning was completely asynchronous. She hated it. She avoided doing the assignments and it was a battle to complete assignments.
My older daughter struggles academically so, before Covid, I would do a lot of pre-teaching/ re-teaching with her. During read-alouds, we alternated between reading for pleasure to reading for understanding. When we did the latter, we jotted notes about the character, talked about themes, etc. Covid hit and then there was no separation between home and school. For our relationship and both our sanity, I hired a tutor twice a week and became completely hands-off.
Creating a balance of allowing them to keep in touch with their friends and limiting screen time has been the biggest challenge. We created a contract that outlined their responsibilities as a student (reading for a specific amount of time, fifteen minutes on a digital reading program, homework, and studying for my older child) as well as around the house (making their bed, putting away their backpack, shoes, coat, etc.). This allows for clear expectations so it's not the constant negotiations like it was at the beginning of the pandemic.
My girls are back in school full time now so it's created a sense of normalcy for them again. I hope it stays this way.
What habits have helped the most with remote learning?
We were fully remote at the beginning of the year and we approached it as if they were back in school. We set an alarm and the girls would get dressed and have breakfast before the day started. We only ate during the designated lunch and snack times and they only worked at their designated workspaces. During independent reading time, they could find an alternate space to read similar to how they were allowed to find a cozy reading nook in school.
Is remote learning more challenging for younger children?
It is definitely more of a challenge to keep younger children engaged. So much of the school experience is the social interaction and without that, the learning dynamic becomes difficult. If my kids weren't in school full-time I would have investigated a pod for them to work with. Peer collaboration is so important in their learning. It's hard to do that over a screen.
What are YOU learning right now?
My older daughter's tutor is a big advocate for the Science of Reading. I had always worked at Balanced Literacy schools and my daughters' school is also a balanced literacy school. I knew that balanced literacy didn't work for every child but as a teacher, I always tried to supplement on my own. I recently read The Knowledge Gap by Natalie Wexler and then new reports came out about how Luch Caulkins [Founding Director of the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University] was stepping back from a leveled reading approach and looking more towards phonics instruction. I wish I had educated myself more years ago. I had so much professional development on guided reading, the reading and writing workshop model, I never thought to expand beyond those circles in terms of literacy. I wish I had but I'm glad to be educating myself now.
Can you shout out one of your favorite educators?
Mrs. Altomare, my sixth-grade reading teacher. I was painfully shy and she took the time to get to know my interests and introduced me to like-minded friends. She also taught speed-reading. It's never taught anymore but such a useful skill!
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Karen Block has over 14 years of experience as a special education teacher. She holds an MST in Childhood & Childhood Special Education from Pace University and is also a graduate of the NYC Teaching Fellows program. Karen specializes in helping parents unpack the academic and evaluative language of both individualized education plans and private evaluations in order to determine practical at-home and in-classroom solutions. When she’s not busy helping students, you may bump into her exploring Prospect Park with her daughters! Interested in working with Karen? We can connect you!
